Okay, so I’ve been craving Korean food lately, specifically seafood. I decided to take a deep dive and explore some dishes I could make at home. Here’s how it went down.
The Initial Search
First, I hit up the internet to get some ideas. I was looking for recipes, obviously, but also wanted to understand the common ingredients and flavors used in Korean seafood dishes.
Gathering Ingredients
After I found a few dishes that looked promising, I made a grocery list. This was a bit of an adventure because my local supermarket isn’t exactly overflowing with Korean ingredients.
- I got the basics like gochujang (Korean chili paste), soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil.
- Seafood was next, I picked up some shrimp, mussels, and squid.
- I also grabbed some veggies, scallions, onions, and Korean chili flakes(gochugaru).
Prepping and Cooking
Prep work was pretty straightforward. I chopped the veggies, cleaned the seafood, and made sure I had everything measured out. This part always takes me longer than I expect, but it’s worth it.
I decided to make Haemul Pajeon(seafood pancake), it looked manageable. I mixed up a simple batter, added in the seafood and scallions, and cooked them in a pan until they were golden brown and crispy.
While making, I found that seafood and vegetables should not be put in the batter too early, and the batter should not be too thick.
The Taste Test
The result is pretty good! I am very satisfied!
